Choose the Correct Options for Evolution Science Flashcards

Current scientific debates about evolution concern everything below EXCEPT a. the rate of the evolutionary process. b. mechanisms that propel evolutionary change. c. whether or not evolution exists. d. evidence for the process of evolution. e. scientific debates include all of the above

The ratio of extinct species to living species on Earth is about a. 1:2 b. 2:1 c. 100:1 d. 1:100 e. 1,000:1

Which of the following gases were in Earth’s early atmosphere? a. water vapor, ammonia, hydrogen, nitrogen b. water vapor, ammonia, methane and hydrogen c. water vapor, oxygen, methane and nitrogen d. nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapor e. carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrogen

Which of the following is found in a fossil record? a. documented changes in a species b. all fossils found, catalogued, and analyzed since the early sixteenth century c. 10,000 unique phyla d. more reptiles than insects e. all of the above

What piece of evidence do scientists now compare to prove humans and chimpanzees are close relatives? a. physical features b. behavior c. DNA strands d. food preferences e. the cell protein cytochrome C

The “primordial soup” of the Miller-Urey experiments contained a. a dark brown liquid. b. lipids. c. amino acids. d. fossil fuel e. a & b & c

What was the negative role that sunlight had in the evolution of early life on earth? a. caused melanomas on reptile skin b. created broad regions of deserts c. led to greenhouse-type atmospheres d. broke the organic molecule bonds e. dried up the primordial pools

The window of opportunity, during which life in the form of the first cell could have begun, was how long ago? a. 3.5 to 4 billion years ago b. 3.5 to 4 million years ago c. 200,000 to 100,000 years ago d. 65 million years ago e. 1 million years ago

According to research groups in several disciplines, where did the first organic molecules form? a. in the early ocean's primordial soup b. near fissures on mid-ocean ridges c. on the surface of other planets d. in protected tidal pools e. all of the above

What may have been the function of RNA molecules in the earliest life forms? a. to facilitate the Y-chromosome in reproduction b. to allow respiration of early organisms to be anaerobic or aerobic c. to act as enzymes in protein synthesis d. to recycle products of elimination e. all of the above

What is Darwin’s “measure of success” in Origin of the Species? a. struggle for survival b. ability to reproduce fertile offspring c. spiritual superiority d. economic affluence e. natural evolution

The Cambrian explosion indicates a. the asteroid strike during the Cambrian period. b. a nuclear testing in Cambria, England. c. a decrease in fossil evidence of primitive life. d. an increase in fossil evidence of primitive life. e. that life evolved from tidal pools.

Planetary research in recent years has shown that a. Mars's northern hemisphere was under an ocean for a billion years. b. like Earth, Mars has gone through multiple mass extinctions. c. by being beyond the asteroid belt, Mars was never pelted with meteorites. d. Martian canals really were constructed by paleoengineers. e. strange tectonic pressures on Mars are projecting meteors toward Earth.

The first cell on Earth was remarkable because it a. was quite frugal in using chemical resources. b. developed effective defense mechanisms. c. probably contained the same essential amino acids of cells today. d. required tenacity to seek out the organic molecules it needed to survive and replicate. e. all of the above

Evidence for evolution can be found in the a. human liver. b. size of horse fossils. c. geochemistry of vertebrates. d. eye socket of whales. e. tailbone of a cave bat